LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 23

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SYNODICAL REPORTS , 23

6. Form recommendations and/or design initiatives aimed at en-
hancing the recognition of those who are certified as Ministers of
Religion—Commissioned.

7. Explore the creation of an alternative program of education in
religious studies, including the doctrine, rdctice, and confes-
sions of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, for teachers in
congregational schools of the Synod who are not members of a
congregation of the LCMS.

Findings

During the first meeting of the Task Force, it became apparent
that significant research would need to be conducted to determine
with accuracy the number of teachers practicing in Lutheran class-
rooms without benefit of the formal coursework in theology re-
quired by the Synod for certification. Synod’s Office of Statistics
and Research expressed immediate interest in such research and
volunteered to assist, as did also the synodical office of District and
Congregational Services-School Ministry. In addition, the Task
Force determined to involve several of the District education de-
partments. The numbers to follow represent an actual head count
and not an estimate. Moreover, the two synodical departments in-
volved in the count now agree that these figures are statistically re-
liable for the year 2002 in which the study was conducted. (Please
note that the Task Force worked to keep all counts within an ac-
ceptable margin of error of under 4 percent in order to assure accu-
racy. This margin also allows the numbers to be rounded off in this
report in order to simplify communication. A chart follows with
specific numbers.)

The Synod enjoys the professional services of 18,000 teachers
in the classrooms of our congregations. Of this number 6,000 are
synodically certified. That is, 6,000 are listed on the roster of
Synod’s “Ministers of Religion—Commissioned.” Roster status
signals that a teacher has graduated from Synod-sponsored, col-
lege-level religion courses and has been deemed “fit to teach” by
one of the theology departments of the 10 Concordia college or
university campuses. It also signifies that the people of the Synod
have had an opportunity to raise questions about the teacher if they
wish to do so. This is in keeping with the Synod’s Bylaws.

Of immediate concern is the fact that 12,000 teachers in
Lutheran classrooms are carrying out their daily classroom respon-
sibilities without benefit of a theological education. Eleven hun-
dred of these 12,000 did attend and graduate from one of our Con-
cordia campuses but may not have completed all of the theology
courses required for Lutheran teacher certification. Some of these
1,100 teachers have taken all of the required training, but have cho-
sen not to be officially certified and placed on the roster of the
Synod for reasons related to the income tax laws (i.e., spouse is a
rostered pastor or teacher).

Status of Active Teachers, 2002-2003 Non-Rostered

in High
Schools
1,000
Rostered Rostered
6,000 Non-Rostered 6,000
Non-Rostered in Elernentary .
12,000 Schools
6,200
Non-Rostered
Non-Rostered, Each graph totals " See
Unidentified 18,000 teachers one
Affiliation (1-4% margin of error) Centers
2,700 4,800

Non-Rostered,

Rostered
BS 6,000
Non-LCMS
3,800 Non-Rostered,
Non-Concordie
10,900

Non-Rostered,
LCMS
5,500

- 6,000

Non-Rostered,
Concordia
Graduate 1,100

Actual Statistics for Teachers by District

#Non- -
Rostered © # Non- # Non-
Summary by District Total ' Earty . Roslered Rosiered
Total Total Percent | Non | Childhood Elementary = High,
Teachers | Rostered | Rostered | Rostered School ‘ School |‘ School
4 , oe a + wee ee
| Atiantic 525 62 | 12% | 463 mo! 22135
CalNeviHawait 670 142 21% 528 | 186, S328 9
Central Ilinois 428 155 36% 273 yer 7
Easter 324 ___§3 16% 271 | 130 141 fe)
English 379 96 25% 283 17; 110
Florida-Georgia__ 879 77 20% 702 485; 505 | 6
a Indiana 868 392 45% | 476 | 166 | (264 __
lowa East 182 72 | 40% | 110 64 43) 3
_lowa West 147 51 35% 6
Kansas 221 69 31% | 152
Michigan 4284 | 647 50% | _637_
Mid-South 344 4g a 14% 295
Minnesota North | 84 22 {26% 1; 62
Minnesota South 665 328 49% 337,
Missouri 1152 533 46% 618
Montana 58 12 21% 46
Nebraska 435 233 54% 202
New England 167 21 [| 13% | 146
New Jersey __ 132 8 6% | 124
North Dakota 36 9 25% | 27 |
North Wisconsin 348 125 36% 223
Norther tinois ta77_ | 587 44% 719
Northwest 682 173 _25% 509
Ohio 502 143 28% | 359 |
Oklahoma | __136 18 13% | 118 |
Pacific-Southwest_| 1504 460 31% 1043
Rocky Mountain 575 195 34% __379
SELC “| 167 17 10% 150
South Dakota 53 24 45% | 2. |
South Wisconsin 906 483 53% | 423
Southeastern 745 124 17% 620
Southem 316 52 16% 264
Southem Illinois 292 165 57% 127
Texas, 1596 469 29% 1127
[ Wyoming 29 9 31% 20
Totais 18108 6145 34% 11958 49406227, 906

Totals in any particular row or column may vary by 1|-4% due to
multiple sources of data. The primary source of data was Synod’s
Office of Rosters and Statistics’ comprehensive database derived
from the last three years of school statistical reporting.

Implications of the Findings

From the earliest days of the Synod, congregations formed
schools to aid in their mission to educate succeeding generations
in the truth of God’s Word. Not only did these pioneers want their
sons and daughters to study geography, reading, and other subjects,
they wanted all lessons integrated with the faith development of
their children. So strongly did our forebears hold to this commit-
ment, they adopted a Bylaw that stands to this day; namely, that
only synodically certified teachers shall be called to serve in a Mis-
souri Synod school (Bylaw 2.45 c). When it became necessary for
a congregation to engage a non-synodically certified person to
teach, the individual was most often directed into the Synod’s
teacher colloquy program to acquire the theological education
deemed appropriate for those teaching in a Lutheran school. This
practice is attested to by the current standards set forth in the Na-
tional Lutheran School Accreditation Program: Standard 5B:01
calls for all Lutheran school principals to be either on the roster of
the Synod or enrolled in the teacher colloquy program. Standard
6:01 states that all teachers are either on the roster of Synod or are
eligible to be on the roster. Standard 6:12 also speaks to the
teacher’s commitment to Lutheran doctrine, which assumes full un-
derstanding of Lutheran doctrine.

As time has passed, more and more non-theologically trained
men and women have been engaged to teach in Lutheran schools,
until today only one-third of our teachers have received college-
level education in the Bible, the Confessions, and the doctrine and
practice of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and less than 4
percent of the non-theologically educated teachers are enrolled in
the Synod’s teacher colloquy program. While the non-theologically
trained teacher in a Lutheran school frequently has a lifelong his-
tory of membership in Missouri Synod congregations, the only for-
mal theological education most have received came during confir-
mation at age 13. Examination of the opinions and ideas of the

2004 Convention Workbook